TOPIC: Lense changes

Our trailers are sometime short on scope or flat versions so we end up doing lense changes as we go through the sequence. It's a royal pain with our single lense Brenkert, especially where in one booth the lenses comes right up to the port as you switch. What do you do on this?
Mike Hurleywww.bigscreenbiz.com

First, group the flat trailers together and the scope trailers together, with the ones matching the format of the feature next to the feature. Then splice about 50 feet of black leader between the two groups of trailers. This will give you about half a minute to change the lens and aperture plate, and adjust the masking while the projector keeps running.

Can the projector be moved slightly back from the port to give more clearance?

I assume you have properly adjusted the positioning rings on the lenses so you can change lenses without having to refocus significantly.
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
EI Worldwide Technical Services
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Eastman Kodak Company
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Rarely did I have to run scope and flat trailers on the same movie. If I did not have it in the right format it did not go on.
The prob with single lenses is some operators do not understand the concept of align it with the screen. So one lens might be right and the other one to high etc.
These were century (never maintained used when the theatre was built models from 1957) and there were three different models in the booth. (12 screen) When I took over that theatre as a GM I wondered why I chose to leave my cushy booth managers job at a new 24 plex.

Yes to all of the above. We do exactly that start with the stuff that will not be the film format, black loeader, etc. All focusing etc/ at least most/ is preset and it goes well. But when I see those auto twin lense rigs at Show East/West that switch format with cue tape: I'm jealous.

We can't move it back because we made up our own port size when we built the booth and it's a short throw so we have a very wide beam and it needs to clear the edges of the port asap!

Personally those turrets are not the endall some think
Most over time start to experience alignment errors and since no one is there when they switch usually a large portion of the film will run with a misaligned apperture or lens
Also in reel short throw apps the turrets won't accept all lens focal lengths or in some cases shadowing on the side of the anamorphic will happen from the flat lens beside it